Daughters Of Fate
by flamingflight
Summary: The *true* story behind the Sailorcouts lives...what they loved...who they loved...and how they all gave it up in the name of duty...
1. The Color of Darkness

The Daughters of Fate  
Part 1: The Color Of Darkness  
By Max-chan  
  
Author's Notes: Okay, okay, so the title doesn't really fit the story, but it sounds so kewl and I didn't know how else you could use it! This story pretty much sprouted up from my sudden obsession with Sailor Saturn. I mean, the girl is a complete mystery and talk about gothic. She's like the equivelent of Sailor Moon, just as powerful, just as beautiful. This is my take on what her life was and is really like. This is kinda dark (not even close) and the storyline may be slightly changed, but it's just a fic. This will be the first part of my series that takes on what each Sailor Scout's life was *really* like. And if you're wondering why I put this in the Ranma 1/2 section too, you'll see. Okay, enjoy now...  
  
Disclaimers: Sailormoon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi and Ranma 1/2 belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
The Queen sat at the head of the long chrystal table, her silver hair tied into two long ponytails with buns. It flowed across her figure like a protecting shield, protecting her from what she was about to face and the people she was about to face. Down the table from her sat Queens and one Guardian. Queen Salenity felt fear and nervousness wash over her and for the first time in her long life she doubted herself. These were the famous Queens Uranus, Neptune and Saturn. They were the only planets that didn't belong to the Moon Alliance. Salenity shivered, she did not even want to think about the Guardian of Time.  
  
"Salenity, our planets have fought long and hard, our people suffering from our battles. We wish no longer to fight with the Moon Kingdom," the Queen of Uranus said. Salenity could feel the coldness in the Uranus's tone as it stabbed through her like a dagger. She swllowed and licked her dry lips. The Queen of the Moon Kingdom really did not want to keep fighting with the Outer planets, but they provided a serious threat to the Moon Kingdom.   
"I, too, wish to no longer fight with the planets and hope to reach an agreement. The offer still stands if you three wish to join the Moon Kingdom," The Moon Queen said softly.  
  
"Never!" the Saturn Queen shouted. Salenity winced, she never liked the Saturn Queen, but she wasn't stupid. Everyone knew that the Saturn Queen would one day give birth to the Prophesized one and to anger her was not a very good idea.  
"Saturn, please," Queen Neptune said as she laid a thin hand on Saturn's arm.  
Looking back at Salenity, Uranus continued, her eyes not wavering, "As I said, we no longer wish to fight with the Moon Kingdom and has agreed to...to...to join the Alliance." This was choked out and Saturn sobbed in Neptune's shoulder loudly, her cried full of regret.  
  
Salenity felt elation flow through her, but a deep understanding and sympathy also. The Outer Planets have always prided themselves on standing alone, needing and wanting no help from anyone. They were a society among themselves...and now...in this generation...they must give in.  
  
"It is settled then, you will belong to the Moon Alliance and you and your generations to follow shall vow to protect the Moon Princess and her Queen nomatter the cost," Salenity said as the three nodded.  
  
"What about..." Salenity trailed off as she looked pointedly at the Guardian of Time who has not spoken a word yet.  
"I pledge my loyalty to the Moon family as well, but the Time Gate belongs to me and the Moon has no ownership over it," the foreboding figure said.  
The Moon Queen shivered, how could she ever control these great Queens? How could she possibly hope to gain their true loyalty and friendship?  
  
The four great Queens and Warriors: Uranus, Saturn, Neptune and Pluto walked over and bent down on one knee beside Salenity's feet.  
In a serious tone all four said, "We vow our lives, our planets, our loyalty to the Moon Kingdom and the Moon Family from this day onward."  
  
The Moon Queen looked into the eyes of Saturn's Queen to see complete hatred and contempt there. She flinched inwardly.  
  
When they all stood up Pluto looked straight into Salenity's eyes and asked, "Are you pregnant, my Queen?" Salenity shook her head and gave a soft "no". She knew why Pluto asked though and finally knew why the other Queens finally gave into the Alliance. It was because of the prophecy.  
  
It was said that Neptune and Uranus will each give birth to a daughter and they shall be Sailorscouts. These two senshi's power and strength will equal to the Sailorscouts of Mars, Venus, Mercury, and Jupitar. The two unborn Princesses of Uranus and Neptune will equal in strength to the four unborn Princesses of the inner planets. The second part of the Prophecy said that the Moon Queen will give birth to the the Moon senshi, the one that will be the most powerful in the whole Universe...but it is also said that the Saturn Queen will give birth to the Sailor Scout of Destuction, Saturn. Sailor Saturn will have just as much power and strength as Sailro Moon. The purpose of the inner and outer senshi is to protect the Moon Princess, Sailormoon and the purpose of Sailormoon is to protect the Universe.  
The purpose of Saturn? When Sailormoon and her scouts comes across a force that can not be beaten, Sailor Saturn must use her power to destroy that planet or glaxy and kill everythign on it to prevent the evil from spreading. If you could not kill the virus, you must kill the thing the virus inhabits before it spreads.  
  
Salenity looked at the other Queens, she knew why they gave into the Alliance. They Alliance and the Outer palnets equaled in power and if the senshi fought each other..well, let's just say it won't be pretty.  
"Are any of you-" the Moon Queen began, but Pluto interuped her, "Neptune and Saturn are pregnant." Salenity nodded as she remembered another part of the prophecy. There can only be one Sailor Uranus, Sailor Pluto, Sailor Neptune, and Sailor Saturn. The other scouts can have children, but the Outer Scouts must live forever.  
  
"It is agreed then, farewell Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto," Salenity said as she left the room and entered the dimly lit hallway. Feeling something at her feet Salenity saw a black cat crawl there. Picking her up Salenity smiled at the familiar comfort.  
"So, how did it go?" the cat asked her excitedly.  
Salenity broke into a grin, "We have four more planets to our alliance."  
"So, tell me about it," the cat said in a whisper.  
The Moon Queen laughed, "Oh Luna, I was so nervous, I mean I was the only one in the room that..."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
The cries of the Queen of Saturn giving birth to the Prophesized one vibrated through the Palace halls. The servants had ran off already, hiding under their beds and tables, crying as they saw the Shadows and Darkness gather into the Queen's bedroom. The midwisfe was sacred stiff herself, she was delivering the Child of Drakness after all. Suddenly, the Queen gave one final terrifying scream that shattered the windows and all that was heard were the cries of a child. The worst was over...or it just began. Tthe Queen of Saturn was dead and the Daughter of Darkness was born.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Pluto ushered the two young, 7 year-old Princesses into the nursery. She knew that Neptune and Uranus was afraid. It was sad how there mothers had to die soon as they were born and they had to take over the throne of their respectable planets, preventing them from a normal childhood. Isolating them from everyone but each other.  
  
Neptune held Uranus' hand tightly as they walked up to the crib of the Dark One. They knew the prophecies, this was the Child of Darkness. The fourth Outer Senshi, they didn't want to meet her, but Pluto made them. Over the years, Pluto had become sort of a surrogate mother for them.  
  
They stepped up to the crib and prepared for the awful sight of a monster...but were caught by surprise. The baby Saturn was just like any other baby...and she was sorta cute. Dark black hair curled around her chubby face and she was chewing lightly on her bound fist.  
"Go ahead, pick her up," Pluto urged, not smiling. Pluto never smiled.  
Neptune picked the baby up and she felt motherly affection storm through her body for this baby. As soon as Saturn was in her arms, she knew she could never put this baby down. Tears covered her eyes and she bit her bottom lip.  
  
The baby settled into Neptune's small arms and sighed contentedly as she whispered, "Michi, Michi."  
Naprtune now given the name "Michi" turned hopeful eyes at Uranus.  
Uranus started, "No! No Way, Neptune! She's the Child of Darkness for goodness sakes!" But among the shouts, the babay Saturn woke up. Her twinkling soft, trusting eyes turned their radar aim at Uranus who started to melt. The babay leaned forward...and...kissed Uranus on the forhead as she whispered softly, "Ruka! Ruka!" Uranus's fate was set...she was in love...the stupid baby had to make her love someone besides Pluto and Neptune.  
  
Taking the baby from Neptune Haruka held Saturn and whsipered, "Stupid baby, you did that on purpose, didn't you?"  
Pluto saw the comforting scene and laughed inwardly to herself on how easily children could fall in love with a cute baby. Then the babay did something unexpected. It jumped out of Ruka's hands and straight into Pluto's.  
  
A surprised Pluto barely had time to think before the baby hugged her tight and said, "Puu-pu! Puu-pu!" The two 7-year-olds burst out laughing and for the first time in so many years Pluto joined in the laughter.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Pluto stood by the Time Gate, the same familiar mist surrounding her. It was so lonely here sometimes, but she would never tell anyone. Suddenly, a sweet voice was heard behind her, "Puu-pu! Puu-pu!"  
The Guardian of Time smiled happily as joy filled her. Turning around she caught the running four-year old into her arms. Saturn at four had short blackish hair with a slight dark blue. Her eyes was black, but some said it was just a really dark brown.  
  
Once in her Puu-pu's arms Saturn pouted and tattled, "Puu-pu, Ruka and Michi are being mean to me!"  
Used to Saturn's fits by now Pluto laughed and said, "Really, what did they do?"  
"They won't feed me, Puu-pu! I'm hungry and they said that I can't eat anything until dinnertime and even then it's the same old thing. Why don't you go with me somewhere far away and feed me something exotic, Puu-pu?" Saturn asked hopefull.  
"What would you like, Sanny?" Pluto asked using her nickname for Saturn.  
"I was wondering if you could feed me the sugar in a snowflake?"  
"Or the fire of Mars?" Pluto suggested getting into the game that they always played.  
"Or the yolk before a sunset?" Saturn laughed.  
"Or the ice of Pluto?" The Guardian laughed.  
"Or the blue cheese on the Moon!" they bothg broke out laughing.  
  
"Pluto, you'll always be there when Ruka and Michi are mean to me right?" Saturn asked her friend.  
"I'll always be there when anyone is mean to you, Sanny," Pluto replied, just like always.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Queen Salenity looked up as her 7-year-old daughter entered the large throne room. Princess Sarenity laughed as she ran in to hug her mother.  
"Why did you send for me, mommy?" she asked the great Queen.  
The Queen took a second to smile indulgently at her Princess before replying seriuosly, "You are going to meet one of the Sailorscouts today." Sarenity knew about the Sailorscouts, the warriors and princesses that were to protect her.  
  
"But I thought they weren't coming until I was 10-years-old, mommy," Sarenity said, confused.  
"This is a very special senshi you are about to meet, Sarenity. She is like Pluto and Uranus and Neptune. Unlike all the others, her job as a Sailorscout is not to protect you, but to stand alone herself. You must be friends with this Sailorscout at all costs, Sarenity. It is very important that you make peace with her," Salenity told her daughter, trying to make her understand.  
  
"Okay, mommy, where is she?"   
"In the garden, Sarenity, she's in the garden, and she's slightly different, so give her a chance."  
"Okay, mommy," Sarenity gave her mother one last hug before running out of the room. *Please let them get along,* the Moon Queen silently begged.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sarenity entered the garden to see no one there. She walked on until she was by the lake. That was when she saw the girl.  
  
The girl had shoulder-length blue-black hair and she wore a long black dress with long, black sleeves. A dark, black crown tiara donned her forehead and she sat looking wistfully at the lake.  
Sarenity sat beside the girl and smiled hesitantly. She reached out a hand and took the girl's hand in hers. Surprised the girl looked up at her and Sarenity felt awe at the girl's classic beauty. She didn't have the same classical beauty as the Moon Princess, but there was something about her.  
  
"Hi, I'm Sarenity, but you can call me Sere. Wanna be friends?" the Moon Princess smiled.  
"You, you're not afraid of me?" the girl asked, her eyes sad. The Moon Princess decided then and there that she was going to be best friends with this girl. They had a bond, so much in common. Sarenity knew that this other girl understood what it was like to have no friends and have everyone afraid of you because of your power. Sarenity knew that this other girl knew what it was like to be aurrounded by poeple, but feelign as if you were alone.  
  
"No, are you afraid of me?" Sarenity smiled softly.  
"No," Saturn laughes if it was the most absurd thing. Sarenity saw the girl laugh and knew she wasn't do different and dark after all.  
"My name's Saturn," the other girl said hesistantly.  
Sarenity knew about Saturn. She heard all the rumors about the Dark, youn Saturn Queen. She knew the Prophecy. She knew it would be best for her to just be like everyone else and stay away from this girl.  
"Okay, Saturn, let's be friends," The Moon Princess smiled as they clasped hands. For the first time in both their young lives, they had a friend.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
An 11-year-old Saturn fidgeted softly in her seat at the table, between Ruka and Michi. She was in the Moon Palace and she was going to get to see her only and best friend Sere again. It's been years since she's seen her friend and she just couldn't wait. The Moon Queen smiled softly at Saturn, she knew that she couldn't wait to see her friend and over the years, the Moon Queen became wiser and learned that Saturn was just like any other child. She was fun-loving and playful and the only reason for her sometimes dark moods was when the Crown got to heavy for her.  
  
The door suddenly burst open and the 10-year-old Princess rushed in in her usual manner. Saturn, delighted to see her best friend again stood up and ran to greet her, but stopped short a couple feet away. Four other 11-year-old girls in long different dresses ran after and bumped into Sarenity making them all fall into a heap, and laugh. As they straightened up the girls greeted the Moon Queen.  
  
The Moon Queen smiled and introduced everyone, "Princess Mars, Princess Venus, Princess Mercury, Princess Jupitar, I would like to introduce you to the Queen Neptune and Queen Uranus along with the Guardian of Time, Pluto. Sarenity, why don't you introduce this little girl over here." The four Inner Plent Princesses looked fearfully at the two young Outer Queens and the Guardian of Time. They heard all the rumors about the Outer Senshi from their mother and others.   
  
Sarenity looked at her old friend and smiled as she ran over to hug her. Saturn smiled that her friend didn't forget her.  
"Guys," the Moon Princess began, "I would like you to meet Queen Saturn. My best friend."  
"You mean the Dark Child?" Venus blurted out by mistake and Jupitar elbowed her in the ribs. Saturn felt a small part of her dying.  
  
"Why don't you take you friends out to the garden, Sarenity?" the Queen suggested as the Princess led her friends out.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Saturn felt the animosity and fear the other Princesses had for her even though the oblivious Moon Princess didn't feel it. When they reached the garden the other Princesse pulled their beloved Moon princess awy from Saturn for a talk.  
  
"Sere, how do you know this girl?" Mars asked her.  
"Yeah," the other Princesse chimed.  
Sarenity was confuse,d why were her friends acting like this, "I met her three years ago. We became best friends."  
"But-but she's Saturn! Don't you understand what that means?" Mars asked, her worry for her Princess overrideing her common sense and kind nature.  
"So?" the frustarted princess asked.  
"What they are trying to say, Sere, is that she can hurt you. Saturn belongs to the Outer Senshi and though her planet is in alliance with us, she has enough power to hurt you if you wish. She is the only one who can," Mercury put in.  
  
"What am I suppoosed to do? She's my friend, I'm not leaving her! I don't abandon my friends!" Sarenity yelled at them. Angry that her friends would think this.  
The Four Inner Princesses watched in horror as their beloved Princess walked back to Saturn.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Tears flowed down Saturn's eyes as she ran awy from the bushes. She hadn't meant to eavesdrop on them, but her curious nature had kicked in and she was just going to stay awhile. Saturn ran out of the garden towards no where. The other Princesses, the ones she thought would be her friends, didn't wnat Sere to be friends with her. What if they were right? What if she would one day hurt Sere?  
  
Suddenly, Saturn bumped into a figure and tears continued to run down her cheek.   
"What's the matter, Sanny?" Pluto asked her.  
Hugging her Puu-pu tightly Saturn cried, "Take me home, Puu-pu, just please, take me home!" Pluto sighed, not saying anything as she took her Queen home.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Salenity paced around in her room, a nervous cat at her feet.  
"Are you sure he is here, now?" she asked her advisor nervously.  
"Yes, I don't know why he chose our Universe, but he did," Luna said. The problem had been that the Great Dark One. The King of the Demons had decided to settle in the Moon Kingdom Universe. He could destroy them all and the only way to defeat him would be to destroy this Universe.  
  
"What are we going to do Luna, we can't weaken him!" Salenity said.  
Luna looked nervous, but she must make the suggestion to her Queen, "Yes we can, your highness. If the Great Dark One was to fall in love with the Moon Princess or one of the other Princesses of the Alliance, we can have him on our side."  
"You're right, Luna, we must do what we must, tell Sarenity and the other Princesses to show the Dark One around the Ball tonight. Hopefully, he will fall in love with one of the five Princesses."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
The 16-year old boy ran out of the ball, panting all the while. *Stupid Princesses, why do girls have to get offended by everything?! Even in the other Universes, the girl's always broke down and cried at everything I said. Sheesh!* the Dark One thought. He teased the 5 princesses a little and they got all offended and decided to hurt him. Luckily they were being distracted now by a couple of guys from Earth.  
  
Walking into the garden, he laughed at how girls can be all mushy gushy over guys.  
Suddenly, he saw a lone figure by the lake. Maybe this was another Princess he could tease and annoy. They were so funny when they were mad!  
  
Sitting down beside the girl he felt her strong dark aura, just like his, calling out to his dark powers, tempting it.  
"Hey, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in the ballroom gushing over some prince?" he asked the girl, but got no reply. The girl had long blue-black hair that seemed so soft and wonderful in the moonlight. He had to resist the urge to bury his hands in it. The girl wore a long dark black dress with a slit at the side, but he couldn't see her face.  
  
Not getting a response from her, he started in for the teasing, "I know, you're probably too much of a tomboy for them to accept you right?"   
The girl looked at him then with angry eyes, but he didn't see that. He was too busy trying to remind himself to breathe. Dark hair framed her face and large deep brown-black eyes twinkled in the Moonlight. A warmth shot throught the Dark One and he didn't know why.  
  
The girl pulled back her fist and hit him straight in the face knocking him into the wall. He never even saw it coming. Saturn looked at her fist in horro, she had never hit anyone that didn't deserve it before. But it was something about this guy! There something about him that made the darkness in her stir.  
  
Running over she helped him up and apologized profusely.  
"So, I guess I was right. You are a tomboy," the boy laughed and she laughed also. They both looked into each other's eyes then and leaned in for a kiss.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"I'll be alright, Ruka, I promise. I love him," Saturn tried to convince the three members of her fmaily, Uranus, Pluto, and Neptune.  
"But he's the Dark One, Sanny!" Neptune cried.  
"I love him and he loves me, we're going to get married. Please accept it, you guys, I can't bare it if you didn't," Saturn begged.  
Pluto hugged her tight, "We'll always love you, nomatter what you do, Sanny, even if you marry the Dark One."   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Salenity saw the destruction Beryl caused and as she spat out blood. Walking over to the senshi she used the Chrystal to send them all ahead in time.  
Suddenly, a portal opened and Saturn and her husband, the Dark One entered the Palace. Crying, Saturn looked at the deaths around her and she looked at the Moon Queen.  
"No! You know you must not send the evil ahead in time! You know that you must let me destroy this Universe and everyone in it!" SailorSaturn cried.  
"I am sorry Saturn, but I must do this," Salenity said as a beam from the Silver Imperium chrystal shot out and hit Saturn, shooting right through her. Saturn feel back, her body lifeless and bloody like the rest.  
  
Salenity looked up at the Dark One and saw that he understood why she did that.  
"Bring her over here and I will send her ahead with the others," Salenity commanded. The Dark One carried his wife over to the Queen and bowed before her.  
Wiping the hair from her face he whispered, "Soon, my tomboy, we'll be together again." The Final light of the chrystal shot out and sent the last two Starseeds into the future.  
"Farewell, my Princesses, may fate guide the way," the Queen said before the light faded from her body...  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Pluto stared out of the Time Gate, loneliness eating at her soul. Suddenly a sweet, qyuiet voice rang out, "I'm hungry, Puu-pu, can you feed me the sugar in a snowflake?"  
Gasping the Time Guardian whirled around to see a strange girl standing there, she didn't knwo this girl, who was she?  
"Or the Fire on Mars?" the girl continued.  
"How-?" Pluto asked in shock.  
"Or the yolk before a sunset?" the teenaged girl contiued.  
"Or the ice on Pluto?"  
"Or the green cheese of the moon?" Pluto ended softly as her eyes filled with tears.  
  
"Sanny?" she whsipered as the teenaged girl ran to hug her tightly as they both cried.  
"I remembered, Puu-pu! I remembered!" the strange girl cried.  
  
Pluto pulled her back slightly and started at the strange features of her Sanny.  
"I do not know you," she bgan as the girl's face fell in desolation, "but I can get to know you. My Sanny is dead, but...but you. Whoever you are. I love you already."  
"I love you too Puu-pu!" the girl cried.  
  
"Okay, let me introduce myself, my name is Pluto, Guardian of Time, but you may call me Puu-pu," Pluto wsaid as she smiled at the girl.  
The girl smiled back, "My name is Akane Tendo, Heir of the Tendo Dojo, but you may call me Sanny."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Author's Notes: Confused? If you're not confused then you've read my other stories before. 


	2. (B) Hotaru's Lie

Daughters of Fate   
Part 1(b) Hotaru's Lie  
  
Author's Notes: Hehe, my least expected story thus far. Oh well, I have a lot of ideas for this story so I'll still be writing it. Now every part has a part (b) to it and the part (b) is the part where I add what happens in the future. Okay, a few notes, the first season's generals: Malachite, Zoisite, Nephrite, and Jadeite are fakes okay. They are Beryl's minions and are not the real reincarnated Earth generals. It's confusing but stick with it. {P.S, for the ppl at ff.net, please note that I will put all first parts on the Sailormoon section and all part b's on the Ranma 1/2 section}Now on with the show, e-mail me at silverflame_maiden@hotmail.com too.   
  
Disclaimers: Sailormoon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi and Ranma 1/2 belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Akane slammed the her clothes into the bookbag on her bed, her face awashed with old tears, ancient tears that never ended and never stopped. Tears that have flooded for a millenium. Her room seems so strange and foreign to her now, like a cage trapping her from what she wanted, suffocating. Suddenly, she broked down and sobbed ino the comfort of her arms as she slid down the wall. Tears for the family she has to leave, fear for the life she has to give up, and fear for her own mortality. A Princess, a Queen, a Warrior...and a Child of Darkness. How could that be her?  
  
And yet, she felt the shadows calling to her even now, the darkness pleading to be evoked, begging and demanding to be noticed and accepted by their Mistress. This was what she wanted, was it not? She had wanted to be in the spotlight and be the one with the power. *No!* her heart and mind shouted *...I wanted to be better, but not at this price...nothing at this price...*  
  
Footsteps were suddenly heard and Akane looked up to see Ranma's form filling her hallway. Ranma's eyes fixated on Akane's tear-streaked face which tore at his heart. *It was probably something I did again...* he thought despairingly, almost deperatly. Then, his gaze flitted over to the open backpack on her bed and his eyes narrowed. He felt an irrational anger build up in him, not directed at Akane, but at some unknown force...Fate. Somehow, he knew this w as it. The final battle. If he lost this battle, Akane would leave Nerima...and never return.  
  
Akane quickly stood up and wiped her tears away as Ranma walked slowly towards her.   
"Where are you going Akane?" he asked her.  
"Ranma, get out of my room!" she shouted desperatly, hoping for any means to make him leave. If she was to dispatch herself from her family, she had hoped to leave quietly, to not see them, for if she did...she would not have the strength to leave and do as she was told.  
  
"Not until you tell me," Ranma growled as he neared her, still blocking the exit.  
She turned away from him, but he heard her muffled reply, "I go where destiny guides me, Ranma, and I will not disappoint her." She was speaking in riddles now, Ranma decided, words that confused him and yet he understood. Understood what she meant. Understood her destiny to leave. Ranma felt as if he was losing a battle, and he did what he usually did when he felt things were not going well for him...he went on instinct.  
  
Akane snapped out of her thoughts as Ranma closed her suitcase and looked straight into her eyes, his an endless unwavering blue as he clasped her arm.  
"Listen Akane," he said in a loud, frustrated shout, "Destiny does not control your life. Everything and anything can and will be changed but you have to change it!"  
"You can not change destiny!" she shouted.  
"Yes you can!" he shouted right back.  
She tore from his grip as she yelled, "Watch Ranma, watch what destiny has made of me and you will see!"  
  
Ranma watched as Akane pulled a long wand-like black stick the size of her arm out, a dark blue-black gem in the center of it.   
"Saturn Soulstream Power!" she shouted as white light engulfed her. When the light was gone and Ranma could see Akane again, his jaw dropped...about six inches.  
  
Akane's blue-black hair had silver streaks in it and her forehead adorned a beautiful, gold tiara with a dark violet gem on it. Light make-up was on her face, accenting her features beautifully, making her eyes seem like a darker brown, her lips a darker shade of pink. A choke-hold with a black diamond was on her neck and she wore an all too tight, white leaotard with a dark violet bow on the chest and a dark gem in the bow. From the leotard was a ver short, very mini black skirt (if it had been an inch higher, well...Ranma's thoughts didn't wish to dwell on such dangerous grounds). Another dark violet bow was on her back where the leotard and skirt met and long, silk-like, transparent violet cloths spread like a butterfly's wings from her back to her knees.   
Akane looked magnificent.  
  
In her hand was a weapon though, a dark glaive with intricate patterns and seemingly weighing tons.  
Akane held the glaive up to his face and said, "This is what destiny has brought upon me. One tiny blast from this glaive will give you a painful death, Ranma, now move oput of my way before I kill you."  
  
"The kill me," he said, unfliching, not moving, his eyes clear. She brought the glaive up and for a second he thought she really was going to kill him. The glaive came down with a thunk on his head as he fell back unconcious.  
Akane transformed back to her regular self and picked up her backpack of clothes and meager belongings as she walked out the door.  
  
#####Flashback######  
"You must join with the other senshi," Pluto said.  
"But where are they?" she questioned.  
"Follow your heart, it will lead you to them."  
#####End of Flashbcak######  
So here she was, leaving her home, her life, her family...Ranma...to find her friends, her senshi, her princess...and her husband...the Dark One...  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Chibi-Usa and Hotaru stepped out of the school, the sunshine shining brightly down on their smiling forms. Hotaru was wearing a regular, black dress and Chibi-Usa wore her school uniform.  
"So, we'll be heading to the Arcade to meet Usagi and the other girls before we-" Chibi-Usa chattered on, but Hotaru had stopped.  
  
Finally, noticing her friend was no longer beside her, Chibi-Usa turned around to see Hotaru standing there, a blank expression on her face.  
Walking over, the pink child asked, "Hotaru-chan, are you okay?"  
Sudddenly, Hotaru's eyes snapped open and widened with happiness and something akin to utter, absolute joy. She smiled broadly and looked around as if looking for something before deciding on a spot around the corner. She ran around the corner to see a crowded street of people. She closed her eyes and focused her energy until it pinpointed on a person in the crowd. Grinning she ducked under the people and raced towards the person, Chibi-Usa straight behind her screaming for her to stop.   
But she couldn't stop now.  
Mama was waiting.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Chibi-Usa chased worridly after her friend into the crowd. *What's Hotaru doing?* she wondered. Suddenly, Hoatru stopped and looked around desperatly as if she lost some part of her soul. She flung around to face Chibi-Usa and her eyes were so helpless and pained that Chibi-Usa felt the sting straight to her child heart.   
"Hotaru," Chibi-Usa whispered as she neared her hopeless friend.  
  
"Mama..." Hotaru cried before collapsing and having Chibi-Usa catch her.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Haruka raced on her motorcycle and felt the wind pushing on her stubborn hair. Streetlight after streetlight, place after place...she was riding...riding the wind...riding her destiny...  
Opening her eyes again she saw a person in the street and stopped the motorcycle as fast as she could, but she still hit the person. She swung the bike over and rushed over to see how the person sitting in the street, holding onto her leg.  
  
"I'm so sorry, ma'am, is there anything I can-?" but at that she stopped for the girl looked innocently up at her. The girl had hair like Ami's, only hers was thicker and an even darker blue-black. It seemed to shine in the sun and her head wa s abeautiful heart-shape. The remarkable thing though, was the girl's large dark brown eyes...eyes that dazzled...eyes that brought a flaring memory into Haruka's mind...  
  
######Flashback######  
Uranus walked out onto the high cliff as she heard the tides hit the shore down below. Just like she knew she would, she found Saturn standing there, her dark hair blowing in the wind. The 19-year-old Uranus Queen walked over to the 12-year-old Saturn Queen.  
  
Uranus waited silently, she knew to never rush Saturn into saying things.  
"Isn't the wind just magnificent, Ruka?" Saturn asked, her eyes sparkling with joy and something that made Uranus' herat lurch in fear...unbridled freedom and rebellion. Uranus loved this daughter that she raised, but she knew that one day she would have to give her up to her own spirit.  
  
"Yes, the wind is great," Uranus said in reluctance, Saturn didn't notice.  
Breathing in deeply, Saturn said, "One day, I'm going to ride the wind, Ruka. Don't ask me how, but I will. I'll ride the wind to all the places that people dream of but never go. I'll paint the world in beautiful colors and will leave from place to place-"  
"Please don't leave, Sanny," Uranus said almost desperatly, although she knew the child was only dreaming of such things. She didn't want her daughter to leave.  
Saturn turned around and made Uranus bend down to her height. Taking the Queen's face in her two hands she said in a musical voice, "I'll ride the wind...only if you ride it with me, Ruka. I'll never be able to fly it alone. Promise me you'll always ride the wind with me, Ruka. Promise me you'll never be tamed like me and we'll travel the Realms together. Just you and me."  
  
Uranus felt tears enter her eyes, but she nodded. Saturn smiled and kissed Ruka on the forehead like she did when she was just a baby.   
#####End of Flashback#######  
Haruka snapped out of her stupor and stared at the girl...the girl in her flashback... Saturn...her words still ringing clear, *...ride the wind with me, Ruka...*  
  
Akane stared at the girl, she knew it was a girl even though she dressed as a boy. Akane had planned on giving this motorcycle rider a piece of her mind (and if need be a piece of her mallet :), but as soon as she saw the girl she felt the memory flash through her and she knew the girl had the same memory. *Ruka?* she wondered as she stood up.  
  
"Are you alright?" Haruka asked again as the girl stood up and the blue-haired girl nodded as she picked up her backpack.  
"Yeah, I-" Akane began, but Haruka suddenly heard her Sailor-radio beep. Excusing herself she turned away and whispered harshly into the radio, "What is it?"  
  
"Haruka, Hotaru fainted and we don't know what to do, she won't talk to any of us and said she wanted everyone there now. We're at Rei's temple," Michiru's vioce came through loud and clear and Haruka said she would arrive before signing off.  
Turning over, she got ready to speak to the girl...but she was already gone.  
  
Getting onto her motorcycle, Haruka sped down the street a sweet, angelic voice whispering in her ear, *...ride the wind with me...*  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
All of the Sailorsenshi, excluding Pluto and including Mamoru and Chibi-Usa, sat around Hotaru looking at her expectantly and worridly (Usagi was munching on some chips while she was looking worried).   
"Everyone, I have something very important to tell you," Hotaru whispered, her breath husky with weakness and trepidition.  
  
"I...I'm..." Hotaru looked around at the people who were her family and she took a deep breath before saying, "I'm not really Sailor Saturn...at least not yet..."  
"What?" everyone asked in confusion.  
Raising her head high, the child said, "I said...I'm not Sailor Saturn...and I'm not Hotaru Tomoe...I am Hikami...daughter of Sailor Saturn..."  
  
Everyone watched her in a thrall awe, trying to deny the truth, but it was there for them to see since Hotaru's face and eyes told them that she did not lie.  
"Let me explain. I am born in the future along with Chibi-Usa, my mother was the Saturn Senshi. When the Dark Moon family attacked and Small Lady was sent back in time, I sneaked away and traveled with her, though Pluto told me I must not. We...we got lost along the way...and were sent to seperate places. Our link was broken and Small Lady forgot me along with other things such as the Sailorscouts younger identities. I remembered though and knew I had to find the senshi, but before I did that I had to get an identity. That was when I met Dr. Tomoe. His wife was dead and his daughter had just died in a tragic lab accident. I cheered up his life by creating memories that never existed and became Hotaru Tomoe. I searched for the senshi, but little did I know Dr. Tomoe's other idenitity and soon the evil powers engulfed me until I became Mistress 9."  
  
"But surely, they could not force you to become Mistress 9?" Luna asked.  
That was when Hotaru's eyes got misty, "No, but I was a willing volunteer. Remember, when Chibi-Usa became the Black Lady? Chibi-Usa didn't want the Dark Power wither, but she wanted to be like someone...she wanted to be like her mother...the Neo-Queen...she wanted her mother to be proud of her strong daughter. I wanted that too. I felt the power and thought that maybe...maybe...if I was more powerful and a better senshi... mama would love me more...these doubts were only increased by Mistress 9's lies. I was a sailorsenshi, like Chibi-moon, a trainee, you might say, but Small Lady needed me...needed me to aid her...so I used what power I could to become Saturn. You think my Silence Glaive is powerful...it is just like Chibi-Usa's small moon-wand. It holds only one piece of the power the true Glaive holds.  
"I couldn't tell any of you though, Pluto told me not to."  
  
All the senshi sat thinking heavily on the subject trying to understand the serious subject at hand.  
After a long while, the Shinto Priestess asked, "Then why tell us now?"  
"Because," Hotaru swallowed, "I felt her. I felt mama's prescense this morning and she's here, but it's not her. It's Mama's younger self that I noticed and she's the real Sailor Saturn. You may all call me Hotaru, I am used to that name now."  
  
Chibi-Usa suddenly remembered...  
#####Flashback into the future######  
Chibi-Usa picked at her dress as the Neo-Queen combed her light strawberry-blond hair. The Neo-Queen hummed softly, a tune that eased the servants in the palace to a relaxed mode. Chibi-Usa looked at her mother intently and smiled softly. The Neo-King suddenly appeared upon the scene in the doorway, refelcting from the mirror.  
  
"How are my two most favorite girls doing?" he asked like he always did and walked over to kiss the Neo-Queen as though they were still both teenagers, carefree and fun-loving, instead of two great Universe Monarchs.  
"Small Lady, can we go now?" Chibi-Usa looked up at the doorway to see her best friend, Hikami. She inched her way from betwen her parents and pulled Hikami out of the room shouting good-bye all the while.  
  
Linking her arm around Hikami, Chibi-Usa laughed and raced along...  
######End of Flashback########  
  
Chibi-Usa put her hand into Hikami's and said, "It doesn't matter if your Hotaru or Hikami, I'll always be your best friend. But can I still call you Hotaru, though?"  
Hoatru nodded and smiled as everyone came over to give her a hug.  
Hotaru looked over at her two surrogate parents and said, "Haruka-mama? Michiru-mama?"  
"We still love you, honey," Michiru and Haruka said, but in their minds were realizations. If Hotaru wasn't Saturn then that meant that their Sanny was still out there somewhere...  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Usagi, Ami, Minako, and Makoto sat at their seats in class waiting impatiently while their teacher was talking to the Principal outside of class.  
"Usa-chan, what do you think about what Hotaru told us the other day?" Makoto asked.  
Usagi appeared thoughtful before saying, "I don't know, guys, if Saturn's still out there then we got a whole mess of stuff to deal with." Minako and Makoto looked at Ami for a translation.  
  
"Usagi means that if the Saturn is really out there and is more powerful then we think she is we're going to be in big trouble for she could be our friend...or foe," Ami explained. Everyone seemed to think about this for awhile before the teacher walked in the room, a girl in tow.  
  
Cat whistles from the guys were heard and the girls had disgruntled looks on their faces. The new girl was semi tall with thick, short blue-black ahir that framed her delicate face. Large, luminous dark, choclate brown eyes that seemed to assess them all with long, dark, black lashes. She had on the school fuku, but the long skirt seemed so much shorter on her, a brown bookbag case in her hand.  
  
While the rest of the class was busy admiring the girl or hating her, four special senshi felt a wave of power exude from her. Their was something about her, they all decided and knew that whateverit was they ad to find out. Makoto's, Minako's, Ami's and Usagi's gazes met once and they nodded, agreeing on meeting the girl.  
  
"Class," the teacher began, "we have a new student, a Miss. Akane Tendo. Miss.Tendo here is 16-years old and she'll be telling you a bit about herself and where she's from. Go ahead, Miss. Tendo."  
Akane bowed and said, "Thank you Toro-sensei." at the amazement of her other classmates.  
  
She turned her sparkling gaze to them and began, "Like Toro-sensei said, my name is Akane Tendo and I come from the Nerima ward-"  
"You mean Nutcase Nerima?" one student yelled out causing everyone to laugh, but Akane just smiled and said sweetly, "If I were you I wouldn't talk since I live in a ward where monsters are heard killing and taking people's souls." That shut them up.  
  
"Anyways," Akane continued, "I am a Martial Artist, not a very good one compared to others, but I still know a few tricks."  
"What do you study?" another student shouted out.  
"I study my own Family Art, the Tendo Anything Goes Style of Martial Arts and no I can not teach you. It k me all of my life to learn what I did and I'm not half as good as the people I know. That's it about me. Any questions?" she asked and a voice immediatly shouted out causing hysterics of laughter, "Do you have a boyfriend?"  
  
Akane smiled maliciously, "No, but I have one fiancee that's the best Martial Artist of his generation, one guy who has a major crush on me that can blow up buildings with only a flick of his hand, another guy who has a crush on me that defeats huge monsters every day for a job, about a dozen princes that like me, and about 100 guys from my last school. But no, I don't have a boyfriend." That shut everyone up too.  
  
"Um...okay, you may take a seat next to Usagi over there," Mr.Toro said, but when Akane gave him a look that said do-I-look-like-I-know-who-Usagi-is? he said, "the girl witht the two buns on the top of her head."  
Akane walked over to Usagi and sat down, somehow being stuck in the middle of Ami, Usagi, Minako, and Makoto. All the girls decided to talk to her after class and the class began.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Akane heane take o their lunch andtart munching on it beside her. It was the middle of class and Akane inwardly groaned as she thought *He'll never change...* Without looking she put her hand over and smcked the person on the back of their head while whispering, "Stop eating in class baka!"  
  
Uagi sat p indignantly, staring wide-eyed at the new girl that just slapped her on her head. Her bottom lip quivered slightly and she said shakily, "Akane-san?"  
Akane froze immediatly, remembering her surroundings and that the person beside her wan't R Saotome, but that Usagi girl. Turning over she blushed and said, "I'm so sorry, Usagi-san! Gomen, gomen! Please forgive me, I didn't mean it, I swear. It's just you reminded me of a boy in my old school that used to dot hat and I guessed it was out of habit. Oh, I'm so sorry, can you forgive me." Akane watched as the girl brightened up immediatly and smiled brightly before saying, "Okay, Akane-san and you can call me just Usagi."  
  
Akane smiled at the girl's brightness also and said, "Then you can call me Akane, Usagi." They both smiled and in that moment an old memory was evoked...  
  
#######Flashback########  
"My name's Serenity, but you can call me Sere," the Princess smiled and the other girl smiled back, "My name's Saturn..."  
######End of Flashback#######  
  
"Ahem! Miss. Tendo, Miss. Tsukino, this is not social hour, please pay attention," the teacher said {A.N: And believe me there are teachers that say this}  
"Gomen, Toro-sensei," they both said before giggling and turning back to class.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Ranma sat up slightly, his head still throbbing from the impact. Memories about what happened flooded through his hazyt mind and he got up quickly before running out of the room...  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Author's Notes: Now, who noticed that in my last chapter I said Saturn couldn't have any children? Who remembered that I keep spelling Sarenity and Serenity two ways? It's all in the grand seam of things (except for that spelling Sarenity two ways, I'm just not consistant). E-mail me, I love getting e-mail. 


	3. The Beauty of Love

The Daughters of Fate  
Part 2: The Beauty of Love  
By Max-chan  
  
Author's Notes: Okee dokee, here's the next installation to my Sailormoon fic. In case anyone is wondering, this IS a crossover with Ranma 1/2. A few things first though, in this version, I changed the battle scene in the silver millenium a little bit and I altered the timeline a bit but everything will work out. Oh yeah, sorry for the spelling and grammer mistakes but bare with me here, I'm still working on it. Okay, enjoy now.  
  
Disclaimers: Sailormoon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi and Ranma 1/2 belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
The Queen of Venus smiled happily as she walked into the large Throne Room. She hugged the other Inner Queens who were just as pregnant as she and watched the people crowd around a beautiful silver crib. She knew who was in the crib. *The Great Prophesized one Princess of the Moon Kingdom Sarenity...* she thought sarcastically and disdainfully. *Well...* she though haughtilly *...my daughter shall be just as beautiful and everyone will fawn over her...*  
  
Plastering a fake smile onto her lips, the Queen of Venus walked over to the crowd of people. She looked over and saw the two 7-year-old Outer Senshies, Uranus and Neptune along with the Guardian of Time stand amongst the Shadows. She sneered at the two children and continued on her way. The Senshi of Saturn was born a couple weeks ago on the same day as the Moon Princess, but nobody threw her a party. *And nobody should...* the Venus Queen thought *...Saturn, the most powerful senshi besides the Moon. Ha! She'll grow up to be just like her ugly, no-class mother. Just like those other two brats too, look down their nose at me! I'll give birth to the most beautiful senshi and she'll marry the most powerful King and then I'll show Salenity what she can do with her Moon Kingdom...*  
  
As she neared the crib the crowd parted and people whispered at the Queen of Venus's legendary beauty which only caused the Queen's ego to boost more.   
The Venus Queen reached the Moon Queen, a beautiful, radiant baby girl in her arms. The baby girl had magnificent glowing skin and curling dark, silver, glittering hair and large silver eyes that seemed like unendable depths.  
  
"Why, Salenity, this must be the wonderful, legendary Princess Sarenity! Why she's absolutely adorable, may I hold her?" the Queen of Venus, Varisan, purred in a syrupy tone.  
Giving the Venuisan Queen a soft smile, Salenity handed her pride and joy over. As soon as Princess Sarenity was in Varisan's arms she felt a warmth overcome her and her senses became more acute. The lights and colors seemed to be brighter and the room seemed magical, a soft song playing in her mind. Varisan felt a happiness overwhelm her, not knowing where it came from the Queen of Venus immediatly handed the Princess back to her mother.  
The lights, colors, music, and magic ended abruptly like a tight-wound rope cut swiftly.  
  
As Varisan smiled and walked away from the crowd she placed a hand on her bulging stomach and whispered harshly, "You are going to be beautiful, you hear me? I will not accept anything less then that!" And the Venuisan Queen received no less then beauty.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Varisan screamed in agony and cursed at her awful fate as she gave birth to her only daughter. When the labor was over and the sweet sound of a new-born baby was heard, everyone in the palace sighed in relief.  
  
"Bring her over here! Bring her over here!" the Queen repeated, anxious.  
Extremely happy at the healthy baby girl she delivered, the mid-wife brought the baby girl over to her mother.   
Looking in shock at her daughter, Varisan asked desperatly, "Where is her hair? Why is her face scrunched up like that? She looks slimy and like a lizard. That can not possibly be my daughter, the princess of Venus!"  
  
"B-but your majesty," the mid-wife stammered, "All babies look that way when they are first born. Her hair will grow and she will also."  
Tightening her lips, the Queen spat, "Did the Moon Princess look this way when she was first born?"  
The mid-wife opened her mouth, but it was dry, "N-no, your majesty, but that is a special exception."  
  
"Is my daughter not a special exception? Take her from my sight until she can be something that is worth looking at," the Queen sneered turning away her own new-born. Strangely, as only the mid-wife noticed, the new senshi of Venus, the Princess stopped crying at that moment and looked at her mother with what almost seemed like regret and pain.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
The 4-year-old Venus, as was her name, entered the Palace library, her long yellow dress dragging behind her tiny, dirt-clad feet. Her beautiful dress had dirt and mud on it and her short, golden-hair was tangled and messed, but she still held an adorable sight.  
The Palace librarian, Sasami, looked up from her reading glasses to see her Princess enter. She smiled indulgently at the child, Venus was like a daughter to her since the little Princess spent most of her time at the Palace library even though she didn't know how to read.  
  
Venus smiled up at the librarian and looked down as she blushed. Sasami's smile got even wider, the Princess was alsways so shy.  
"Sasami," the Princess said so soft, Sasami almost couldn't hear it.  
"Yes, Venus?" the librarian asked in fake curiosity. The child most likely ripped a page in one of the picture books and was feeling guilty about it.  
"Sasami...I want to..." Venus continued, although her words seemed unable to escape her small lips.  
"Yes..." Sasami gave a slight verbal push.  
  
Quickly, Venus said in a rush, "Sasami, I want to learn how to read."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
The 7-year-old child plopped down on her favorite chair in her library. Yes, she considered it her library since she was the only one to use it. The chair was an old, dusty, cushiony, oversized red one with no fluffs and was pretty hard to sit on, but Venus thought it was perfect. Venus's shoulder-length golden-spun hair was wrapped in a tight bub/ponytail at the top of her head to keep it away from her eyes. Golden-rimmed glasses adorned her lovely blue eyes and a long, comfotorable, old yellow dress adorned her body.  
  
Stacks of books aurrounded her chair and one was plopped in her lap. The books from this library weren't like any other though. They wewre books made in the past, the present, and even books that will be published in the far future. Venus especially loved mysteries and romance, but just about any book about anything will please her and keep her interested for days.  
  
Smiling she turned to Sasami and gave her an thumbs up. Turning back into her chair she took out some clear tape and taped back the first addition to Little Women which she ripped by reading it and trying to train at the same time. Bad combination. Biting her lip, Venus continued her taping.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
The sun shined brightly down on the ten-year-old Princess Venus in her garden. She was bending over the future book, "War and Peace" as she sat on the stones outlining a large plant in the garden. Her hair was in it's usual tihght ponytail and she wore her regular yellow over-sized dresses.  
  
Suddenly, sensing afigure approaching Venus looked up to see her maid rush towards her.  
"Princess, Princess, come quickly,m the Queen wishes to see you!" the maid screamed. Venus's small eyebrows scrunched in confusion and horror. Through her ten-years of growing up she only saw her beautiful mother through the hallways. Rushing quickly, she stood up and ran towards the throne room, a forgotten book lying in the dirt and mud.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
The Venuisan Queen, Varisan, looked up as the door opened and her daughter rushed in. Assessing the girl, the Queen noted her imperfections and decided quickly then and there what to change and mold. She really didn't want to look at this girl that seemed to refuse to be as beautiful as Sarenity, but time was running out. Soon, Venus must be sent ot protect and train with the Moon Princess and the other Princesses and senshi. She must make this girl presentable.  
  
"You called me mother?" Venus asked excitedly, looking in awe at her mother, the magnificent woman on the thrown. Oh, how she wanted to be like her when she grew up.  
"Yes, you will soon be sent to the Moon Princess and become a senshi as you must know by now. I have to make you at least presentable to be brought into public. First thing to change, you must stop these frequent visits to the Palace library. The Royal Princesses do not spend their times reading and such, that is only for Mercury. Understand?"  
  
A fear crept up the young child's back as she cried out, "But surely, I can read sometime when I am not busy?!"  
"No!" the Queen said firmly, her strict voice vibrating around the large room, "You can not read books again until I allow you too or say you must."  
Crying the Princess yelled out before running out of the room, "You can't change me! I'm not like other Princesses! I don't want to sit around and look pretty so I can catch a good husband! You can't take away my books!"  
Smiling maliciously, Varisan said, "We'll see about that."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
That night Venus woke up to the smell of smoke and her intuition told her something was terribly wrong. Panic coursed through her veins as she rushed toward the door and tried opening it only to find it locked.  
"Someone! Oh, please someone, please open the door!" she screamed, her panic escalating.  
  
"Princess, you are awake?" the sound of her maid came through the other side of the door.  
"Oh, oh, is that you Nanette? Please open the door, something is wrong!" Venus said in hope and desperation.  
"I...I can't Princess. The Queen will not allow it," Nanette said aoftly, almost in apology.  
  
"You know what is wrong, don't you, Nanette? Oh, please tell me! I can't stand it!" the Princess cried.  
"The...the library..." Nanette choked out.  
  
The world came tumbling down around the ten-year-old child. Unknown strength came through her as she jerked at the door and broke it down. Pushing her maid aside she ran down out across the garden towards the library building.  
The sight she came to broke her child heart.  
  
The library was in flames, dark black smoke curling up from it like evil claws, choking the Princess. Instead of trying to put it out, the guards were only trying to keep it from spreading to the other buildings. Venus fell to her knees and cried and sobbed.   
  
Her library...her sanctuary...gone...As a child she had no mother, no friends, no family, the library and it's books replaced those things. The comfy red chairs were her bed. The celing was her roof. The books her food, water, and air. They were her comfort in her time of need, her strength when she needed it. Now it was gone. A cold hand sudenly clamped itself down on her shoulders.  
  
Looking up, Venus looked into her mother's cold unfliching eyes and for the first time she didn't see a shining goddess there. All her life, the Princess had put her mother on a pedastal, a shining goddess to be admired from afar, but now, now she saw her mother for who she really was...a malicious, terrible human. Varisan no longer looked so beautiful in her daughter's eyes, she looked almost...ugly. The light that sheltered her true form from her child's eyes dimmed and faded out forcing Venus to face the truth.  
  
Defeated, Venus sighed and said, "I give up. Make me, mold me, change me anyway you want to. I don't care anymore. My life is gone."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
During the three months ahead, Varisan made Venus into a shining, radiant blonde beauty with long thick golden hair and wonderful eyes not hidden by glasses. Venus walked like a Princess, giggled like a Princess...and thought like a princess. Soon, the small child came to believe that she really was this way...this no-brain girl who wnated no more in life then to look pretty and land a cute, powerful husband in the future. Venus didn't know that she lost herself during those three months.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Princess Sarenity fidgeted beside her mother as they stood waiting in front of the space portal. Her mother had told her earlier that the first of her sailor senshi, the Princess Venus was to arrive today. Sarenity was told to be on her best behavior today.  
Suddenly, a yellow light enveloped the portal and after it faded a beautiful lady and girl stood there. The ten-year-old bunny Princess watched in awe at the magnificent tall lady with flowinbg blonde hair and the little Princess beside her. Venus wore a long yellow dress and jewels sprakled around her. Her golden spun blonde hair was long and thick as her large blue eyes wandered curiously around the room before landing on the other Princess.  
  
Varisan pasted on a large grin and went over to give the Moon Queen a polite but non-affectionate hug.  
"Oh, Salenity, darling, it's been too long. How are you doing? Is this little Sarenity?" The 10-year-old Moon Princess looked up at the beautiful lady that stared maliciously down at her and she had to suppress a shudder. Suddenly, this lady wasn't so beautiful anymore.  
"Hello, Varisan," Salenity said warmly.  
  
"Have you seen my daughter, Venus? Venus, come over here, sweety," Varisan said, her voice dripping with sugar as she pushed her daughter forward for inspection.  
"Isn't she just beautiful, Salenity? Now, Venus, you and Sarenity go and play now while Mommy discuss business with the Moon Queen," Varisan said as she pushed Venus and Sarenity out the hallway and shut the door.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"Is that really your mother?" Sarenity asked, then immediatly blushed at her directness.  
"Yeah," Venus sighed.  
Sarenity looked at the other girl and smiled as she knew she had found a kindred spirit...the second one since her friend Saturn.  
"Hi," she smiled shyly, "My name's Sarenity but you can call me Sere. What's your name?"  
  
Putting her nose up in the air, Venus did a graceful curtsy as she said, "The Royal Crown Princess Venus of the 2nd Moon Alliance Planet Venus of the Inner Solar System also known as the future 2nd in command of the Sailorscouts, Sailor Venus." Sere stared in open-mouthed, wide-eyed wonder as she said, "Wow..."  
Grinning, Venus stood up again and she giggled, "How did I do?" Seeing, the mischevious sparkle in the other girl's eyes, Sere smiled and said, "Wonderful." and in that one word a friendship was born.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
The 14-year-old girl glided down the hallway, her high-heeled diamond shoes clicking on the palace hallway. Her thick, beautiful blonde hair was tied with a white ribbon and she wore a long flowing gown of pure white. Her laughing blue eyes held laughter and their was an odd bubbly bounce to her step. A long white purse swung happily from her hand.  
As she neared the Moon Palace library doors, the blonde head popped into the doorway before her entire body was in the doorframe. She looked at the blue-haired beauty with thick glasses reading a *very* large book, other books surrounding her.   
  
Scrunching her nose in distaste and dropping her purse onto the table, the bubbly blonde laughed, "C'mon Mer-chan, let your books go for a moment. We have to go choose a dress for the ball tonight. Oh I can't wait! Just think, cute princes from everywhere will be there and you should see my dress, Mer-chan! It's yellow with beautiful diamonds hanging off of it. Mer-chan? Mer-chan? Are you listening to me?"  
Mercury snapped out of her intent concentration on what she was reading and smiled as she took off her glasses. Standing up and looping her arm with Venus's arm, she said, "Yeah, wonderful, now let's go, Sere and the others are probably waiting for us."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Venus ran into the library as she snapped on her golden earings. She wore an elegant yellow dress with a slit on the side and a curvy V cut in the front. Sighing she walked over to the table where she had dropped her purse earlier that day. Picking up her purse, Venus noticed the book Mercury had been reading earlier. Closing the big book, BVenus read the title in gold letters, "War and Peace..."  
  
A feeling of deja vu hit her and suddenly Venus looked once again through the eyes of a 6-year-old in her library...of a tiny girl reading in her garden...reading in her chair...of a heartbroken child broken apart and built again by her mother's own hands...  
Giving a choked sob, Venus spun around and looked at the mirror above the library doorway and what she saw broke her heart once again. A beautiful, regal blonde golden Princess adorned in jewels...her large blue eyes hidden behind long dark lashes... magnificent...beautiful...fake...  
Behind those blue eyes held not the joy they once held when she opened a new book or read a new chapter...only a dull fake happiness of superficial things...that hair...that long mane of golden hair...a cover...a curtain on the fears that she never had before...fear that she wasn't beautiful enough...fear that she wasn't good enough...fear that all she had to hold onto and recommend her was her beauty...what happened to her confidence? To how she used to walk not with a forced skip...but with a truly cheerful and optimistic look on life...  
What happened to her?  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
With a lift of her chin, Venus ran out of the library and into the kitchen...a place she rarely went. Pulling out the drawers, she grabbed a large pair of sheers and with a quick, indifferent swipe, the sheers cut across her breathtaking mane...the golden curtain fell away... floating to the floor...lifeless...  
Next came her wonderful, expensive dress until it was considered nothing but rags. The jewels came off then...diamonds...earings...gold...  
Venus ran outside into the Palace garden and grabbed a handful of dirt and mud smearing it over her dress, face, and hair.  
  
Her dirt face was streaked with tears of bitterness and pain. Lies...lies...oh how she hated the lies...what was she? Dazed and confused, Venus felt the Palace walls close in around her and she started to sufocate. All she knew was that she had to get out of here...out of the place where her lie had been acted out...where the Princess of Venus was...where her mother was...  
She couldn't go to any of the inner planets because someone would surely spot her and take her back and she was too afraid to ever visit the Outer Planets unaided. There was only one planet close enough but wasn't in the Moon Alliance...the forbidden barbaric planet...  
...Earth...  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Malachite slicked back his thick white hair as he grinned at his perfect 18-year-old image in the mirror. With a flip, he slid the comb back into his general's outfit back pocket.  
"Off to the village again, Casanova?" a voice joked behind him and Malachite turned around and frowned at the three grinning guys.  
"Funny, Jed. Now, where's Endymion?" he asked and the one called Jed shrugged as he said, "Off to train I guess. Said he wanted to be alone. I say he's in the village visiting the village girls just like you're about to do." With a sarcastic smile, Malachite patted Jed's shoulder, "Don't be jealous. They'll like you when you grow up and stop putting spiders in their hair while their sleeping."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"Good afternoon, Lord Malachite," a shopkeeper said and Malachite smiled at him in greeting before continuing on down the path. The Marketplace was crowded at this time, full of buyers, sellers and traders. Of people performing and people eating. Seeing the jeweler's dark-haired, pretty, popular daughter, Bethy Sue standing by a wall with her friends, Malachite grinned and walked over.  
  
The girls surrounding Bethy Sue scattered away like hens as he approached and Bethy mock curtsied as she said, "Good Afternoon, Lord Malachite."   
He went over to stand next to her by the wall and his tall form casted a shadow over hers, "Well, hi to you too Bethy. How are you doing?" Bethy blushed prettily at his nearness and smiled, "Okay, I guess."  
Malachite gave her one of his heart-melting smiles and the girl was momentarily dazzled but the deep sound of the baker's shout broke their concentration.  
  
"Give me back that loaf of bread, you little thief before I cut your guts out!" the baker's baritone voice shouted, but a child's tone screeched out, "Let go of me!"  
"I'm sorry, Lord Malachite but I have to go," Bethy said quickly and dashed off before Malachite could get a word in otherwise. With a low growl, Malachite ran to where the crowd was and edged his way into the middle.  
  
There, stood the tall, overbearing baker clutching tightly to the thin arm of a sooty, dirty little boy in large pants and a large shirt along with a large cape. The boy's face was hidden from view but Malachite caught glimpses of dirty brown, clumpy hair.  
Walking over, he yealled out, "What's wrong?"  
The boy turned to him then and Malachite stopped in surprise and shock. Behind long, dark lashes were a pair of large, startling crystal blue eyes that was like clear blue water.  
  
"This brat stole my loaf of bread, Lord Malachite," the baker said humbly, but the little boy turned back to the baker and yelled out, "No, I didn't! I gave you that diamond watch for it!"   
"Let me see this...watch..." Malachite said and the baker grudgibly handed over a very strange, unique diamond item. It was no mistake that that thing, whatever it was...was encrusted in diamonds and jewels...but it was like nothing he had ever seen before. It was a round object with one side made of diamond glass. Inside were strange numbers and two stick thingies that pointed at the numbers along with a third one that moved.  
  
Putting it up, Malachite questioned the boy, "What is this?"  
Instead of bowing meekly, the kid had the audicity to hold up his head and say in a haughty tone, "That's a watch. It tells time." The crowd burst into laughter and the kid looked around confused as though he didn't know what the joke was.  
  
Handing the 'watch' back to the kid, Malachite took out three gold coins and gave it to the baker, "Here, that should be enough to pay for the bread and more." The baker nodded as he grumbled and walked back to his stall. The crowd dispersed and the Prince's first general looked down at the little munchkin boy that pouted with a bottom lip that was too red and magnificent to be given to a male.  
Shaking his head of his thoughts, Malachite asked, "So, are you hungry? I know a place near by where we can eat." The boy appeared in indecision a second before his growling stomach made the deciaion for him.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
The white-haired guy looked in wide-eyed amusement at the plates and bowls on the table while the boy continued to eat ferociously from a large bowl.  
"So...um...what's your name?" Malachite asked casually, trying to initiate some form of conversation with the weird kid.  
"Vensghh," the kid said through a mouthful.  
"Huh?"  
"I said, Venny," the kid replied.  
  
"Oh, well, Venny, how old are you? 13? 14?" Malachite asked in true curiosity as he looked closer at the boy, noting for the first time subtle things that other wouldn't notice... the slight, haughty lift of the nose...the way the boy kept his eyes downcast whenever possible and added a gruff tone to his voice.  
Uncomftorable under the older guy's scrutiny, Venny shifted about and said as he kept his eyes and face averted, "Ahem...14...I'm 14."  
  
"Venny...there's something weird about you...let's get you cleaned up," the general said suspiciously and Venny's eyes widened considerably before he answered, "Oh no, um... I have to go anyway...I'll see you...thank you..." With that, the kid rushed out of the resteraunt, Malachite chasing after him in a determined run.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Out of breath, Malachite leaned over slightly to breathe in large gulps of air. When he looked up again, he saw the kid standing on a hill not faraway from him...his eyes wide with shock and surprise...his hands in the air. The white-haired general sucked in his breath...those eyes...those damn eyes...they were large, liquid blue orbs of such promise...too dangerous and daring...  
Before Malachite knew what had happened, the kid ran over to him, grabbed his face between his tiny hands...and kissed him! But as soon as those soft, pouty, sweet lips touched his...Malachite knew Venny was really a girl. After awhile, Venny pulled back, sucked in her breath...and ran back to the top of the hill. Today seemed a day for surprises since a yellow light came down from the sky and before Malachite knew what had exactly happened...Venny was gone...and all proof that he was ever there...laid on the lips of an awed general...  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
When Venus returned back to the Moon she pretended like she was before... because she knew her mother would do whatever it took to make her that way...but she also became more then what she was...she smiled more...she laughed more...there was a true optimistic bounce to her step...and when she knew nobody was looking, she asked Ami to take her to the library...only the senshi knew about her secret...and they loved her even more for it...of course, time passed and years went on and Venus grew until the night of the fateful ball that ruined it all...  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"You jerk! Come back here!" Venus cried as the Dark One ran away, laughing all the while through the garden. Picking up her shoe...Venus threw it but missed and she crossed her arms with a 'humph'. She had been set up with the Dark One just like the others had been...but all he did was insult her...insult her intelligence...her looks...everything...until she couldn't take it anymore and chased him...a very bad beat down intent on her mind...  
  
"Excuse me, miss, is this your shoe?" a deep, laughing voice said behind her and Venus turned around saying in annoyed tone, "No, that is not my shoe. My shoe is over th-" but she didn't get to finish for what she saw just simply...stunned her. There stood a tall, very handsome guy in a completly white tuxedo...his hair was white as well. His grin was dryly amused and from one of his fingers hung her dainty golden slipper.  
  
Malachite's smile slipped and he tempoairly forgot to breathe. There in front of him stood a pissed off, very gorgeous beauty with her hands crossed. She had long hair that could in no way be put into the term blonde...it was more then that...it was the sun emboddied in long streaks of silk...shining and thick...reflecting all the joy in the world. Her eyes were so very achingly familiar...eyes that had haunted his days and nights for years...dark blue, crystal clear, liquid joy eyes that shouted to him and demanded attention from the beholder. Her magnificently molded body was covered with a long, yellow silky dress.   
  
They stood there for awhile, both too stunned to speak...but when Malachite finally got his voice back he had to say the wrong thing at the wrong time, "You remind me of a boy." Not exactly the right, suave thing to say to a girl who's just been through all the insults possible. With a grumble about how 'all guys were alike', Venus three her hands in the air and headed off.  
Seeing his folly, Malachite grabbed her elbow and turned her around as he turned on his most devastating smile.  
"What I mean to say was," he bowed deeply before getting up and grinning, "I would be honored if you will grant me your next dance."  
  
Venus nodded dumbly and barely registered the fact that he pulled her closer into his arms...and his warmth...they danced to a slow waltz and she glided elgantly in his arm... after awhile the song and music stopped...and they slowed down...but didn't stop...  
"The music's stopped," he noted offhandly.  
"Yeah," she said softly.  
"Maybe we should stop," he said, not meaning it.  
"Yeah," she said as she gave him a dazzling smile...and they stopped...  
  
He looked at her and started to bent his head and she raised hers...and their lips met...and deja vu came crashing through them...after they let each other go...still in each other's arms, the white general said, "Well, Venny, glad to see you again."  
"You're and earthling!" she accused, pushing her way out of his arms...but all he gave her was a 'Yeah, and?' type of look.  
"You're not supposed to be here! Do you know what kind of trouble you could get in going out of your planet's orbit? into one of the planets of the Moon Alliance...especially the Moon itself?" she practically shouted, her thoughts rambling and running.  
  
"Well, excuse me, but I don't believe you were supposed to be on Earth those years before either. You're not exactly what we all call Earthling material. What are you anyway?" he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.  
"I'm Venuisan," she replied sadly and his eyes narrowed as he looked her over again and asked in a hard tone, "You're name wouldn't happen to be Princess Venus, would it?" and when she nodded he gave a foul curse.  
  
A while later, he grabbed her and made her look at him...at the desolation in his eyes his face softened and he said, "Listen, Venny, it doesn't matter. We can still be together. We'll go away together...you and me..."  
"I-...Malachite...I..." she began helplessly trying to come up with a reason not, but he just shook his head, "No, don't say or think or do anything, Venus. Just meet me on Earth on the hill tomorrow at dawn."  
  
With that, he diasappeared into the shadows leaving a bewildered Venus behind.  
"So, it seems little Princess Venus has herself an admirer," Venus gasped and turned around to stare face to face with the worst person in her life...her mother.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"Dammit!" Malachite cursed as he watched the sun set. He had stood on this hill waiting for over 12 hours for a snotty, bratty Princess that didn't even bother to show up. Suddenly, a thought hit him...maybe she had ben detained...maybe she couldn't come...not because she didn't want to...but because she couldn't...suddenly a little red-haired girl ran up the hill to reach him...in her hand was a note...  
  
"Are you Lord Malachite?" the little girl asked innocently and when he nodded she gave him a note saying, "A beautiful blond lady named Venustold me to give this to you." and with that she ran off. With a frown, he opened the letter and read in immaculate, perfect handwriting:  
  
Lord Malachite,  
Are you still there? Ha! How pathetic. I'm sorry if I didn't come but did you really think I was going to give up my place as one of the most powerful soldiers of all time or jepordize my future role as Queen of Venus just for a little, barbaric Earthling guard. You aren't even a Prince, Malachite. Don't try to reach above yourself...I'm a Princess, fool...not one of your village girls. It was fun for awhile but I'm tired of you so why don't you go off and leave me alone. Ta-ta now.  
- Royal Crown Princess Venus  
  
With a growl, Malachite crumpled up the piece of paper in his fist as his eyes shot sparks of hatred and pain. All those years...years of torment at dreaming of a blue-haired angel...then meeting her and falling in love again. That...that...brat! With pain, hatred and anger clouding his soul and blackening it, Malachite looked up to see a tall, red-haired woman not far from him.  
Narrowing his eyes, he spat out, "What do you want?"  
"Merely a small proposition for you, Lord Malachite..." Beryl laughed as the hill was covered in darkness...  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Venus sat at the table at the ball as she watched the Moon Princess dance with her Earth Prince...the loneliness and depression still ate at her soul...a year...  
It had been a year since...since Malachite...where was he now? Did he still remember her? Or did he marry some other sweet Earth girl? She couldn't blame him... couldn't at all...but yet the regret still tasted bitter and resentful in her mouth. Looking at Sere again, Venus gave a faint smile...she was happy for her Princess...happy that she finally found her Prince...but she couldn't help but be resentful that Sere hadn't met her Endymion sooner... so that Earth could be open to the Moon sooner...so that her and Malachite...  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted as the music suddenly stopped and everyone gasped as the room was cloud in darkness. Suddenly, a blast of fire and light burst into the high ceiling, bursting a big hole into it. Dark creatures flew in from all over and in thecenter stood a reigning dark, red-haired evil Queen who landed in the center with an evil grin. Beside her stood four men...four Earth men...four Earth generals...now wearing thew Evil Queen's colors. One of them being Malachite.  
  
Everyone gasped in fear at Beryl's sudden entrance and Queen Salenity of the Moon made her way to the front as she yelled, "What is the meaning of this Beryl?"  
"Why, just my victory," the Queen said and at that moment all hell broke loose. The evil demons and minions ran through the people, like dark hungering shadows seeking and devouring the light...the light and soul of all the people there. In a flash all the senshi were transformed and Venus started her battle. The...Things...kept coming on to her...jumping at her out of nowhere and she fought them off desperatly as she continued to hear the screams and cries of those around her. Yet, she didn't stop...couldn't stop.  
  
But she knew she couldn't make it longer...her body was weakening under the pressure and the creatures continued to relentlessly attack her...never seeming to decrease in number...another slice on the arm...a gash appeared across her thigh...blood pouring everywhere...but then of the creatures jumped onto her...and bit her in the neck...and the blood kept on pouring until it was just too much...  
....and she fell down hard on the marble dance floor in a pained heat...every cell in her body screaming in agony and pain...the stings of her wounds lay open and bare as she felt the agonizing physical pain. There was a saying of how you're entire life flashes before your eyes the moment before you die...but that didn't happen with her...she only saw on memory... her worst of them all...  
  
#########Flashback##########  
She stifled a cry at her mother's sudden appearance in the garden. Had she heard it all? Did she know everything?  
"Hello Varisan," she said tensly...nervously as her mother's mouth smiled viciously...evilly...horribly...  
Before she knew what she w as doing, the innocent, love-sick girl bursted out, "I'm going with him, Varisan and you can't stop me."  
That was when her mother's smile faded and the dark blue eyes glinted with evil intent and hatred...and Venus winced...for that hatred was to familiar...directed at her all of her life when her mother bothered to care enough to look.  
  
Walking over purposefully, Varisan slapped her daughter across the face...the crack ringing loud and clear through the empty garden. Venus didn't bother to turn her head around, her eyes full of tears of regret, shock and unendless pain.  
"You little slut! I will not have you sully my name and my wonderful reputation. You will not ruin me, you hear?! I am not going to be the laughingstock of the galaxy just because my idiot daughter ran off with a barbaric Earthling. Those people are animals!" her mother screeched and Venus slowly turned her head around to stare into her mother's eyes...  
...and for the first time in Varisan's whole, entire life...she felt genuine fear...  
  
The teenaged girl looked at her straight in the eye...only the clear crystal blue eyes were blank empty of any emotion left...no hate, no anger, no pain.  
Venus opened her mouth and said in a surprisingly, calm, hard tone as she raised her head, "I pity you, Varisan. Think about that when you lie in your cold grave." With that, the famous 'golden Aphrodite' turned and walked away. Her shock wearing off, Varisan shouted out, "You can't be so selfish! What about Sere? Your beautiful Moon Princess? What about the other brats you call friends? Do you know what could happen to them because of your harsh action?!"  
  
Venus stopped cold in her tracks and turned around, "What do you mean?"  
Seeing she had an advantage, Varisan gave a dry turn of her perfectly molded lips, "You're smart, girly. You know that the Moon Alliance and Earth has never exactly been on pleasant terms. On the edge of War even. Everyone from the...and everyone on Earth wants a war...they all want blood from the other planet...the Lunarians want blood because they hate and despise the other barbaric planet...Earth wanting blood because the Moon's very existence threatens it's lifespan. Only, Queen Salenity has been desperatly been trying to keep the peace...but they're all waiting...all waiting for a sign...any sign at all...for war. By one of the Royal Princesses and Sailor scouts running off with an Earthling, a revolution will erupt from the planets in the Moon Alliance...the Earthlings will see this as their advantage and attack... and everyone's precious little Silver Moon Princess will die in the battle of it all."  
  
Varisan relished in seeing first the doubt, then indecision, then raw pain slash across her child's features. Venus bit her lip and tried to deny it...but she knew the truth...she knew her mother hadn't been lying...giving a sob she ran off deeper into the garden.   
  
After awhile, she stopped and looked up at the blue planet...Earth...where he would be waiting for her...and all she could do was cry and whisper, "I'm sorry, Malachite."  
########End of Flashback#######  
  
Her memories stopped as she felt the demons and creatures being pulled away from around her. Using all her energy, Venus focuseed her blurry eyesight on the tall figure standing in front of her. Blood coated her eyes, blinding it...but she would always remember that white, blinding hair...  
He wore a dark suit...not at all fit for his character...and his face was a hard mask of indifference and boredom...his eyes a dull blank.  
  
Reaching her hand up, Venus managed to rasp out, "Malachite-"  
He bent down and grabbed her reaching wrist in a tight grasp. With an amused lift of his mouth...a sardonic glint in his eyes, he twisted her wrist and she gasped out in pain.  
"Poor little Royal Princess Venus," he chuckled in her ear before she felt the kick in her abdomen...a kick so strong that it sent her flying towards the wall.  
  
When she smashed into the wall, her vision was gone and all she heard were sounds...  
  
"Come with me, Prince Endymion and be by my side..."  
"No! I will never go with you!..."  
"Sarenity!...Stay back!..."  
"Endymion!"  
"Sarenity!"  
  
And suddenly, all the pain was gone and all she felt was a blessed numbness and she somehow knew she was no longer in her body.  
"Farewell my Princesses, may fate guide the way," an angelic voice said somewhere far off.   
  
But before she left the world in which she was in, Venus's subconscious whispered three words, "I'm sorry, Malachite."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Ami yawned as she worked over the homework on her desktop. She was really tired from what had happened earlier with Hotaru...but she was only 30 chapters ahead...she was failing horribly...  
Suddenly, the shrill sound of the phone rocked her out of her thoughts and she sighed as she picked it up.  
"Hello," she said in a bored tone, though she didn't mean to be impolite...never that.  
"Hi. Ami-chan? Is that you?" a girl's voice said from the other end.  
  
Ami sat up in her seat as she asked in shock, "Minako? Is that you? What's wrong? Are you crying?" The girl on the other line sniffed some more and Ami could tell through her intuition that Minako had been crying.  
"No, Ami, I'm alright. Can you do me a favor, though?" Mianko asked bravely as she sucked in her breath.  
"What is it?" the blue-haired girl asked softly.  
"Can you lend me your copy of War and Peace?"  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Author's Notes:Whoa! This is probably the longest chapter I've ever written up to date.E-mail me at silverflame_maiden@hotmail.com. Comments and criticism welcomed.  



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